The Yale School of Medicine Department of Surgery is pleased to announce the appointment of surgeon-scientist, Hong-Bo Zhao, MD, PhD to Professor of Surgery in the Division of Otolaryngology, effective Sept. 15, 2022. As a faculty on the Investigator track, Dr. Zhao will spend most of his time on research. The recruitment of the RO1 funded “super star” is consistent with the department’s long-term strategy to bolster the academic mission.

“We are committed to helping each of our divisions to recruit and build clusters of established scientists who can both mentor our clinically-active research faculty, and also support one another as an advanced researcher team with synergistic needs and goals,” said Department of Surgery Chair, Dr. Nita Ahuja.

Dr. Zhao, a former post-doctorate at YSM, returns to the Yale community via the University of Kentucky Medical School. His NIH-funded laboratory focuses on broadening our understanding of both genetic and noise-induced hearing loss, as well as the relationship between auditory and brain health. Dr. Zhao will work closely with the Yale Ear Lab, led by Dr. Joseph Santos-Sacchi.

“Dr. Zhao is a super-star in the field of Otolaryngology research. We are excited to welcome him, and for the potential research collaborations that are ripe for developing — especially within the department,” said Chief of the Division of Otolaryngology, Dr. Benjamin Judson.

Recent PhD scientist recruits to the department include Dr. Eric Schneider whose Outcomes work focuses on understanding aspects of CNS response to blast overpressure exposure among military members; and basic scientist and oncologic geneticist, Dr. Jason Sheltzer.

Dr. Zhao received his MD degree from Yichang Medical College in Hubei, China. He later received his PhD in Auditory Neuroscience from the Shanghai Institute of Physiology in Shanghai, China.